Study, protection of the environment shared aim of Benedictine, Wilderness

Benedictine University students do not need to travel to the rainforests of Ecuador or the Great Barrier Reef of Australia to appreciate diverse ecosystems.

They only need to walk out their front door.

“I think if we teach our students about the biodiversity here in northeastern Illinois, their appreciation for unique ecosystems will deepen because they will be living it in their daily lives,” said John Mickus, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Benedictine University.

As part of the University’s mission to encourage its students, faculty and staff to appreciate the environment and act as responsible stewards of the world in which we live, Benedictine recently applied for and was granted membership in Chicago Wilderness.

Chicago Wilderness is a regional nature reserve that includes more than 250,000 acres of protected natural lands in southeastern Wisconsin, northeastern Illinois and northwestern Indiana. These lands include forest preserves, state parks, federal lands, county preserves and privately-owned lands.

This network of wild spaces contains significant natural communities including some of the best remaining examples of prairie. The region also holds valuable forests, streams and wetlands, and plants and animals ranging from colorful songbirds and tiny orchids to impressive great blue herons and magnificent oak trees.

The Chicago Wilderness consortium is an alliance of more than 180 public and private organizations working together to protect, restore, study and manage the natural ecosystems of the Chicago region, contribute to the conservation of global biodiversity and enrich local residents’ quality of life.

Consortium members include landowners; local, state and federal agencies; centers of research and education; conservation organizations and others.

“Chicago Wilderness is an internationally-known program that is an example of how a partnership among many organizations can work and work well,” Mickus said.

Benedictine University’s Jurica Nature Museum, founded by Frs. Hillary and Edmund Jurica, O.S.B. and home to hundreds of species of native Illinois plants and animals, has been a member of Chicago Wilderness since 1998.

However, Benedictine officials felt it was essential that all the resources of the University were utilized in the ongoing effort to preserve the natural ecosystem of the Chicago region.

“We hope to be an organization that will contribute substantially to sustaining the biodiversity of northeastern Illinois,” Mickus said.

mail Benedictine University 5700 College Road Lisle, IL 60532 key contacts Jean-Marie Kauth e-mail jkauth@ben.edu phone (630) 829-6272